"People who know the facts, know that this is no victory for Californians, for our state courts, or for equal access to justice. Our focus now turns to the Senate where we will continue to disseminate current and accurate information about the needs of the trial courts and the people of our state and the detrimental impact that this bill will have on meeting those needs. I thank all of those who have worked so hard on behalf of a fair justice system and who will, I know, continue to do so because of their commitment to the equal administration of justice across the state.”—Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye

Summary: AB 1208 is an inappropriate intrusion into fundamental governance of the judicial branch. It would remove from the Judicial Council its responsibility and authority to allocate funds to trial courts in a manner that supports implementation of statewide policies and initiatives and would remove the council’s role of ensuring the stability of trial court operations and providing oversight over trial court budgets. The bill also permits as few as two to three courts to veto allocations of funding for any statewide initiative for information technology or administrative infrastructure.

Legislative Priorities for 2012: On December 13, 2011, the Judicial Council adopted as a legislative priority for 2012 to continue its opposition to Assembly Bill 1208. The discussion on AB 1208 is contained in Part 2: